With celebrations for a historic July Fourth well underway, the sports world is investing in bigger, louder and longer pyrotechnic spectacles, bringing with them both new revenue opportunities and operational strain on the fireworks industry.
“This year’s Fourth of July is a perfect storm: a Saturday night, America 250 and the expectations from clients that the scope of the shows will continue to get more complex,” said Matt Gilfillan, vice president of public display at Pyro Spectaculars, one of sports’ biggest pyrotechnic partners. “But there’s limited resources, limited equipment, limited trucks and limited time, and having limited licensed operators means that labor is the industry’s most scarce resource this summer.”
Gilfillan’s 65-person company (which swells to about 2,000 this summer) is based in Rialto, Calif., and works with six Major League Baseball teams, including the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers — no small personal conflict for Gilfillan, a lifelong Giants fan — as well as roughly 20 minor league and semi-pro teams.
Fireworks remain one of the most reliable fan engagement tools in sports, driving incremental concessions and sponsorship revenue. Twenty-three MLB clubs hosted at least one fireworks night last season, totaling 148 dates, according to Sports Business Journal research. Of those shows, 78% were at least partially underwritten by corporate sponsors, which is critical because large shows typically run between $35,000 and $45,000, while pricing at the lower end starts around $1,000 per minute depending on the size and scale of shells fired.
MLB covers pyrotechnics expenses for All-Star Game festivities, which in Philadelphia next month will be operated by the Phillies’ longtime partner, Pyrotecnico, which also created a U.S. flag effect for the league above McCovey Cove on Opening Day in San Francisco.
The 700-employee, New Castle, Pa.-based company’s lineup includes five other MLB clubs, 41 minor league and semi-pro baseball teams, and a college roster that makes up 8% to 10% of its sports revenue, said President Rocco Vitale, and every client is looking to expand the scope of the presentations.
Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, for example, marked the sixth consecutive year Pyrotecnico handled pyrotechnics and special effects, spanning everything from the national anthem to player introductions and the Bad Bunny/Lady Gaga/Ricky Martin halftime show. “It was the most extensive pyrotechnic scope we’ve executed at the Super Bowl,” Vitale said.
At the same time, the rise of drones is reshaping — but not replacing — the industry. Six MLB clubs hosted a drone show in 2025. Gilfillan said about 80% of company revenue comes from traditional fireworks, compared to roughly 95% pre-drones.
“We’ve never looked at it as a replacement,” Gilfillan said, noting that his company will run both a July Fourth drone display at the Rose Bowl and a fireworks show over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Other operational challenges persist, such as shorter MLB games that have compressed the window for shows, and the reduction of available launch points at big events because of broadcast compounds and logistics needs.
“But Major League Baseball is the shiny gemstone of sports,” Gilfillan said, adding that his company’s revenue is up 25% to 30% over the past few years. “It’s a long, drawn-out season, but they keep fans at the game till the end buying an extra hot dog and ice cream, and it’s the backbone that keeps the families of the fireworks industry across the country going.”
MLB’s biggest pyrotechnics team partners
Pyro Spectaculars: Athletics (Oakland, Sacramento), Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants
Pyrotecnico: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
Rozzi Fireworks: Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers
Zambelli Fireworks: Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies
